As many New Yorkers gear up for summer travel, Gov. Kathy Hochul is putting the brakes on congestion pricing. As of Wednesday, June 5, Gov. Hochul indefinitely delayed the start of congestion pricing, which was set to begin on June 30. Gov. Hochul cited potential disproportionate impacts on lower-income New Yorkers as a reason for revoking her support.
The historic plan — the first of its kind in the U.S., following the success of similar plans in London, Stockholm, and Singapore — would charge a $15 toll to any car entering Manhattan below 60th St. As the name implies, the plan was designed to reduce congestion in Manhattan and ideally encourage drivers to take public transit more often. If implemented, the toll would reduce traffic, potentially improve air quality, and raise $1 billion annually for public transit improvements in New York and New Jersey.
As Gothamist reports, future improvement projects for the MTA depend upon the congestion pricing revenue and are unlikely to move forward without its funding.
